How long does it take to hire a maid in the UAE?

It varies by route, and we found no official end-to-end timeline. As of September 2026, MOHRE's service card for a new domestic worker work permit states a processing time of 2 working days. For a helper coming from abroad, ICP requires a foreign national who enters the UAE to complete the residence issuance procedures within 60 days of entry.

MOHRE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, issues domestic workers' work permits, and for a helper abroad the work permit doubles as her entry permit. ICP, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, handles residence: its general residence page describes the steps, and says that for domestic workers its service is provided through the Domestic Workers Package. The government's Work Bundle portal sends Dubai employers to the DubaiNow app for domestic-worker services, and links the other emirates to ICP's smart services. Finding the right person, gathering documents and, for a helper abroad, her journey take time of their own.

What are the official time limits for hiring a maid?

Each one we found covers a single step, not the whole hire: MOHRE's processing time for the work permit, ICP's deadline for residence after entry and its service times, MOHRE's delivery deadline for recruitment offices, and the maximum probation set by Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 on domestic workers. Here they are in the order you meet them, alongside the other steps:

MOHRE's processing time covers the permit application, not the whole hire. MOHRE issues the permit once the request is complete and tells you if anything else is needed, so a complete file saves time.

ICP's service times are for each service as a whole. For a domestic worker, ICP's residence page says the service is provided through the Domestic Workers Package, and its cancellation page says it goes through MOHRE or the Domestic Work Bundle; neither gives a time for those routes. ICP's residence limit after entry is a deadline, not a processing time.

The last limit runs after she starts. What happens if it doesn't work out during probation depends on how you hired her, and our guide to probation, replacement and refunds covers each route.

How long does it take to hire a maid from abroad?

We found no official total. The official steps run from her work permit to her residence, with her journey in between, and our maid visa process guide covers each one:

1. Her work permit. MOHRE issues it, and for a helper abroad it doubles as her entry permit.
2. Her journey. She travels to the UAE on that permit. We found no official time limit for this when you recruit her yourself; a recruitment office has a deadline (see the table above).
3. Her Emirates ID biometrics and medical fitness test. You apply for both after she arrives.
4. Her residence permit. You complete it within ICP's deadline in the table above. ICP's general residence page ends with the Emirates ID card, which it says is delivered through authorised courier companies.

Her home country can add time too. It may have rules and steps of its own before she leaves, and some countries restrict recruiting domestic workers for UAE homes. Check with her embassy or labour office before you commit, and see which nationalities can work as maids.

Through a recruitment office

A licensed recruitment office, or agency, can recruit her for you. Read the timeline before you sign. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a family that recruits through an agency signs a MOHRE standard contract with the agency covering the worker requirements, the worker's rights, the costs the family pays and the recruitment timeline. MOHRE's operations manual adds the delivery deadline in the table above, which is for a worker the office recruits from abroad, not for one who is already in the UAE.

Before you pay anything, check that the office is licensed: MOHRE publishes its list of approved domestic worker service centres (opens in a new tab), many of them branded Tadbeer. Our guides to Tadbeer centres and to choosing between an agency and a direct hire compare the routes.

How long does it take to hire a maid who is already in the UAE?

We found no official total here either, but the stages differ. A helper who already lives in the UAE can move to your sponsorship from inside the country: MOHRE's permit service covers workers already here, and ICP changes her status.

If another family employs her, the steps run in the order below. The first rests on a summary of UAE rules by the International Labour Organization (ILO), not on a UAE government page.

1. Her current employer's consent. The ILO's May 2024 brief on UAE rules, citing Ministerial Resolution No. 674 of 2022, says a domestic worker's move to a new employer during the contract term needs the current employer's written consent. We found no official time limit for this, so agree the dates with them in writing.
2. The cancellation of her visa. When the worker is already inside the UAE, MOHRE asks for the worker's tourist visa, if they are on one, or for the cancellation of their previous visa.
3. Your permit application. MOHRE's processing time applies from here (see the table above).
4. Her change of status. ICP's fee for a status adjustment (changing status inside the UAE) is AED 500. ICP's general residence steps end with the Emirates ID card, delivered by courier; for its route for domestic workers, see above.

Timing matters for an older helper too. A domestic worker must be at least 18, and MOHRE applies an upper age limit of 60 for a new work permit. MOHRE can exempt a domestic worker who is already in the UAE from its upper age limit if their domestic-worker residence was cancelled no more than three months earlier.

Our guide to hiring a helper who is already in the UAE covers each step, the documents and the fees.

What makes a hire slower or faster?

Gaps in the paperwork and waiting on other people slow it down, and a complete file with dates agreed early keeps it moving. Where she is now matters too, as the two sections above show, and our guide to hiring a maid in the UAE compares every route.

These checks come from the official requirements, and are worth doing before you choose a helper:

• Your eligibility. To sponsor a domestic worker, an expatriate resident needs a recent salary certificate showing a family income of at least AED 25,000. Our guide to who can sponsor a maid lists MOHRE's other conditions.
• Her passport. For a new domestic worker work permit, MOHRE requires that the worker does not already hold a valid work permit and has a passport valid for at least three months. If her passport has less time left, it needs renewing before you apply.
• Insurance. Before a work permit is issued, the employer must buy a domestic worker insurance policy that covers the worker's unpaid dues up to AED 20,000. Health insurance rules differ by emirate, and our health insurance guide covers each one.
• Other people's timing. Her current employer, a recruitment office or her home country can each set the pace, so agree dates in writing where you can.

When can your new helper start work?

Only once she holds a MOHRE work permit for the job with you. She may not start work on a visit or tourist visa. Employing a domestic worker without a work permit for that job is punishable by a fine of AED 50,000 to AED 200,000.

Plan her pay from the right day. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a domestic worker's wages are owed from the day the worker enters the UAE or changes status. For a helper coming from abroad, that is before her residence is complete.

If you need help in the meantime, our guide to own-visa, visit-visa and part-time help explains what is legal.

How does MaidMatch fit into the timeline?

At the first step: MaidMatch is where you find her. MaidMatch is a free platform for families: they can browse every profile at no cost, with no registration or subscription required. Families contact helpers directly on WhatsApp, through the Hire button on each profile. Before you start the paperwork, ask her what visa she holds now and, if she works for another family, whether they know she wants to move.

A helper who already lives in the UAE can move to your sponsorship from inside the country, and our guide to hiring a helper who is already in the UAE takes you through it.

Sponsorship is the employer's responsibility; families can manage the visa themselves or ask MaidMatch to connect them with its visa partners. MaidMatch's visa partner offers a two-year employment visa, with the visa, medical test, Emirates ID and insurance handled end to end. Before you start, ask the partner for its timeline in writing, who sponsors her on that visa and what the two years cover. Our partners page has the details.